We are the Chosen Ones
by Knightshade93
Summary: Thralled to the god Tzeentch, the Disciples of Mutation burn a path through the Imperium to recover a lost fragment of their god's power, and travel further down the path of lies and damnation.
1. The Slaughter

Erex took a moment to gaze upon the horror etched into the Guardsmen's faces. His smile revealed fierce rows of pointed teeth. He lashed out at the sergeant; his claws tore into the man's chest and lifted him above his men while his other weapon caved in the head of another. He threw the limp soldier over his back as he laid into the rest of the squad with crozius and claw. A bolt of fire burst from his clawed hand incinerating one who tried to flee. He swept his claw in a wide arc, still trailing flame, the heat melting the flesh of the Guard. The guard were trying to flee over the tops of the trenches but they were cut down by cursed flames hurling over Erex's head. He dug his claws into the wall of the trench and hauled himself up where he could see his prey. He knew where he could be found, the coward leading the pitiful humans against his warriors. Erex stretched his wings, taking in the power of the Mutator and closed his eyes. His spirit form raced forwards passing through the walls of the bunker to come to stand before the commander. His spirit took the form of a great angel of death cloaked in shadows, before his Blessed the assembled humans with the gift of his Lord and Master. His spirit rushed back to his body to see his handiwork with his true eyes, all eight of them. Mutated flesh burst from the portholes of the bunker before it exploded outwards, the massive spawn roaring with a dozen tortured voices before it tore its way through the artillery that tried to keep his warriors down. Now freed from the bombardment his warriors raced forward to slaughter the Guards, voicing Praise to Great Tzeentch and his Champion Selunax. Lord Selunax stood atop a mound of bodies his body three times taller than Erex's and he was already a giant among the Disciples. Four great wings sprouted from his back, and arcane energies spun around his form. His legs were avian and his face was crowned by feathers and a pair of horns had a sphere of flame held at their apex. In his hands he held a giant lance, as much a weapon of close quarter combat as is it was a conduit for the energies of the warp. Bolts hurled from the weapon to tear the bunkers asunder and mutate the Guard that were in the open. Erex knew that he couldn't fail his God while he served under such a chosen warrior and he hurled a bolt of warp flame from his hand to blast apart a sandbag wall and burn those who cowered behind it.

'For the Great Lord Tzeentch, the One who granted you these great gifts. You will not fail under His gaze!'

The Disciples roared in agreement and they enjoyed in their slaughter. An entire generation died this day and Erex's broken face smiled as he felt his skin toughen and bony protrusions pushed through his chest plate. The mind of Selunax touched his and he looked up to the sky, seeing the telltale contrails of Space Marine drop pods blazing down from the heavens.

_Legate, break their spirit._

'Executor, to me!'

Executor Barbas followed the Legates gaze and threw aside the ruined body of the Guardsman he was pummelling into the ground. His bestial face panted and his took his place beside Erex. In one massive hand he wielded a green glowing black blade; his terrifying tool used in rituals of summoning and warp travel. One of the Drop Pods slammed into the ground nearby, the loyalist scum Eagle Warriors piling out in an ordered fashion, but Erex and Barbas were bounding towards the Drop Pod as it landed. Erex's longer and stronger legs carrying him ahead of his Executor, his feet taking on the form of cloven hooves. The squad's plasma gunner was the most prominent threat so Erex leapt the last dozen metres before crashing into the Imperial Astartes, his hooves breaking the Marines chest and abdomen as he swung his crozius at a second Marine, caving in its head. His claws were wreathed in warp flame and he gripped the head of a third and the marines armour began to melt under the heat before Erex savagely tore its head off, spinal cord following in an explosion of molten gore. He crozius swung at the knees of another Astartes and the warrior fell to the ground and Erex tore open his chest with a single swipe of his claws. A plasma bolt struck his right arm, most of the energy dissipating on the warp field he constantly projected but it still burned his daemon flesh arm. His return swing was blocked by a chainsword and the sergeant kneed his groin before smashing his sword hilt into Erex's face, breaking teeth and causing him to spit the black ichor that was his blood. Erex's claw was knocked aside before his opponent's sword bit into his arm, ichor, flesh and armour clogging the teeth of the blade. His free hand found a purchase around the sergeant's gorget and he was lifted into the air. Snarling savagely Erex drove the scum into an embankment. Driving his daemon arm into the Eagle Warriors chest plate, shattering the golden Aquila. Erex spat another globule of ichor before his claws punched up into the sergeant, tips emerging through his back. Curling his finger his broke the Marines spine and ripped it out, his foe collapsing in a spineless heap. The coincidence wasn't lost on Erex, before he pulled himself back t knowing that this was all part of Tzeentch's plan for the galaxy. The sound of snapping bones and shattering ceramite caused Erex to spin around where he saw his Executor writhing on the ground, surrounded by the broken bodies of the rest of the eagle Warrior squad. He body broke apart, his face taking on a porcine aspect, crowned by iridescent feathers, an additional pair of gangly limbs burst from his torso and vestigial wings grew from his back, and lastly a scorpion like tail emerged dripping with a virulent poison. The spawn reared and roared in pain before sniffing the air and ran off, screeching with an unrestrained fury. Erex picked up the Executor's blade, forged from the stuff of nightmares itself. The blade was linked to their ship, the _Herald of Mutation_, and was needed to perform the sacrifices that would appease the vast ships daemonic spirit and allow them warp travel. Breaking the walls between realities and allowing the ship to step fully in the warp, its daemonic nature letting it have a foothold in both realms at the same time, permitting the will of its master Selunax allowed it of course. A slight tug at his spirit let him know that the former Executor was felled finally. By a skull helmed warrior in black, the same position Erex held in his former life, before he stood as the right hand of Sorcerer-Prince Selunax, and the guidance of all the Disciples. This one must die.

His voiced boomed from his tortured mouth,' Come and die servant of the Corpse Emperor!'

'I will scour your trace from His galaxy Daemon!' came the reply.

Erex expected nothing less and both bringers of their respective faiths charged into battle. A battle of wills began as well as that of physical combat. The two Chaplains, one dark, one light struggled in a brutal combat that seemed to eclipse all others. Erex's crozius arm was knocked aside but he spewed forth flame, which was turned aside by the chaplains Rosarius. His demon arm punched again and again, but the well crafted armour held firm, with only minor crack emerging in the battle plate. In response the chaplain fired his bolt pistol at point blank range, tearing holes in Erex's armour. Erex head butted the chaplain, causing the brief time needed for him to bring his crozius down on the chaplains head, but it was stopped mere centimetres from the helmet. Erex pushed all his might behind the blow but the muttering of the chaplain held the field in place. Thus distracting his opponent, Erex's clawed hand closed around the Executor's Blade, the material it was forged from cared not for the arcane protections of the Rosarius. Erex stabbed up again and again. He let blade hang by his side as he pulled out the chaplain's primary heart, crushing the chaplain head with his crozius. Taking a bite from the still beating heart he felt the wall between worlds grow thin, and a warp rift burst into existence above Sorcerer-Prince Selunax and a horde of daemons charged onto the battlefield, condemning those survivors to eternal damnation.


	2. The Summoning

Four months earlier Erex had entered the Capital hive, aboard the personal shuttle of the planetary governor. The _Herald of Mutation_ was stationed two days under warp travel from the system and so a luxury liner was sent to pick up Erex and Barbas, his Executor. When he arrived in the palace spire Erex learned the Governor was dead, and his Steward a member of a Tzeencthian cult, had told the hive that the Governor was merely ill. But most of the hives rulers had been caught under the sway of Selunax and so met the mutated Astartes with open arms. Erex had immediately executed the Steward, and appointed one of the nobles in his place. He gazed up and saw the two headed Aquila marking the Governors personal Church, and he grinned at the thought of such a place playing host to the event that was about to unfold. Inside the main hall of the church the pews were shattered and removed, the figures of angels and saints were covered in blood and had iron spikes rammed into their eyes. At the centre of the room now lay an altar covered in blood and cultist willingly stepped forward to have their blood drained to the floor as Erex chanted carving cursed symbols into the stone floor and covering the walls with sigils painted in blood. The power of the warp started throbbing within the church and the bestial nature of Barbas started to become more pronounced. He too chanted along with Erex, as was his duty to carry out such sacred rituals. After three solids months of sacrifices and chanting the desecrated statue of the Emperor shattered and standing in its place was a statue of Selunax. As suddenly as the statue appeared the air above the altar ripped open and Selunax stepped out, followed by his Legates and Praetorian Terminators.

Barbas and Erex dropped to their knees and lowered their heads, 'My lord Selunax,' Erex started;' you honour us with your presence.'

'And our souls shall be forfeit,' chanted Barbas.

'Rise blessed Legate, graced with His sight you are.'

Erex rose to his full height and stood proudly before his lord, 'not as much as you are favoured in His light my lord.'

Selunax smiled, his face disturbingly human, although he seemed to fill the church with the power radiating from him. No cultist remained alive, the last lay on the altar, his chest carved open by the Executors Blade. Several hundred were required to reach the critical mass as their souls were weak but each stepped forward to die willingly. The corruption had grown deep within the hive and the planet and now that Selunax walked on the world its doom was all but sealed. Selunax paused, closing his eyes, though they still glowed dimly from within, and started to sniff the air. Erex too sniffed the air. Not so much to smell the air within the temple but the scents of the ether and he noticed that an astropath had sent a hymnal of warning before his brain started to melt and run from his ears. The Astropath was stationed at Fort Greenpeak, the local guard garrison there started to prepare for the coming war.

'The _Herald_ started its approach as soon as I left.'

'The guard stationed at the fort will be moving against us before it arrives my lord.'

'That is of little importance Legate Erex, you shall attend to the masses, purge the followers of the Corpse God,' Selunax turned to face one of his legates, 'Legate Reasul, you will rally the cultists of the mine workings between here and the fort to hamper the advance of the enemy. Legate Uiol,' Selunax continued, ' Ensure that the cultist's here are prepared to move out and shatter what resistance the other Hives may hold.'

'As you command Prince Selunax,' the three Legates chanted slamming their right vambraces against their chest plates, 'and our souls shall be forfeit.'


End file.
